Orienting apparatus



Aug. 13, 1946. c. H. scHADEL. 2,405,717

i 4ORIENTING APPARATUS f I l lFiled Nov. 25 1942 2 sheets-sheet 1 Patented Aug. 13, 1946 ORIENTING APPARATUS Charles H. Schadel, Houston, Tex., assignor of one-half to Eastman Oil Well Survey Company, Dallas, Tex., a corporation of Delaware, and one-half to Eastman Oil Well Survey Corporation, Long Beach, Calif., a corporation of California Application November 23, 1942, Serial No. 466,708

4 Claims. (Cl. Z55-1.6)

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in orienting apparatus.

One object of thevinvention is to provide an improved apparatus for orienting a well device, such as a whipstock, within a well bore, whereby said device may be located in a predetermined known position in said bore.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus for orienting a well device within a well bore including an instrument arranged to be detachably mounted within the well pipe to which the well device is attached, said instrument being mounted in a predetermined position relative to the well device and having means for recording the position of the well device relative to the low side of the hole, whereby when the instrument is withdrawn from the Well pipe, the exact location of the well device, with respect to azimutha1 North may be ascertained.

A particular object of the invention is to provide an improved orienting apparatus including an instrument releasably mounted within the well pipe to which the well device to be oriented is attached; the instrument being so constructed that release of said instrument, as well as actuation thereof to produce a record of the location of the well device relative to the low side of the well bore, is effected by imparting an upward jar on said instrument.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus, of the character described, wherein an upward jar or pull on the instrument will rst actuate said instrument to record the position of the well device with respect to the low sideof the hole and a subsequent continued jar or pull will effect release of the instrument fro-m the pipe to permit withdrawal of said instrument.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character described, having an instrument for recording the position of the well device to be oriented relative to the low side of the well bore, said device being actuated to make its record by a downward jar thereonand .being constructed so that a subsequent upward pull thereon will release said instrument from the well pipe to permit its withdrawal therefrom.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an orienting apparatus having a recording instrument formed of telescoping sections which when moved relative to each other carry out the recording operation, the record so made being formed on a soft impression member which is marked by a gravity-actuated element, such as a 2 ball, plumb-bob or the like; said instrument also having means for releasably connecting it with the well pipe, which means may be a frangible 'shear pin, releasable latch or other detachable means.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein an example of the invention is shown and wherein:

Figure l is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of an orienting apparatus, constructed in accordance with the invention and showing the apparatus mounted within a well pipe which is disposed in the well bore,

Figure 2 is an enlarged, transverse, vertical, sectional View of the instrument mounted within the connecting sub,

Figure 3 is a view, similar to Figure 2, and illustrating the instrument in a position after it has been actuated to make the record and also showing said instrument detached or disconnected from the sub,

Figure 4 is an enlarged elevation of the impression plate or disk which provides the record,

Figure 5 is a plan view of the compass ring into which impression disks or records may be inserted to facilitate interpretation thereof.

In carrying out the present invention,A it is first necessary to make a directional survey of the bore hole at the point at which the tool is to be set so as to determine the direction of inclination of the hole at such point. This may be done by any suitable instrument, either a gyroscopie or a magnetic instrument and such instrument may be lowered into the` well bore on a wire line or cable for the purpose, of. making the initial survey. An instrument, which is generally known to the trade. as a single shot surveying instrument may be employed. By meansv of the instrument, the degree of inclination ory deviation from the vertical, as wellk as the direction of such inclination may be determined.v For example, the instrument may show that the` bore holev inclines N. E., or it may show any other reading in accordance withy the inclination and direction of the well bore.

After this inclination is obtained by the initial directional survey of the well bore A by any suitable instrument,r thev drill stem or pipe I0 (Figure l) is lowered into said well bore. An elongate cylindrical sub Il is coupled to the lower end of 3 the drill stem or pipe by means of a suitable coupling collar or tool joint I2. A drill bit I3 is screw-threaded onto the lower end of the sub I I, the bit being illustrated as a drag bit although it may be of any suitable type. With this arrangement, it will be obvious that the sub II is interposed between the lower end of the drill stem or pipe I and the drill bit I3. A whipstock I4, or other well device to be oriented, is adapted to be connected to the sub and includes a collar I which is preferably made integral with its upper end. The collar encircles the lower portion of the sub II, being secured to said sub by means of a shear pin I5. It is noted that the shear pin is preferably located in vertical alinement with the angular face I1 of the whipstock. When the drill stem and/or pipe I 0 is 'lowered through the well bore A, it will be obvious that the whipstock, as well as the drill bit, are lowered therewith. A rotation of the drill stern or pipe will impart a rotation to. the whipstock whereby said" whipstock will be oriented in the hole in the desired manner so that the whipstock face I1 vwill be directed in a predetermined direction. After the shear pin I3 has been broken, the drill bit I3, sub II and drill pipe Ill may be moved downwardly through the collar I5 of the whipstock and uponsuch movement, the bit I3 is guided by the angular face of said whipstock. It is noted'that this construction, above described, isigeneral practice and forms no part of the present invention. Y

Obviously, as the drill pipe having the whipstock attached thereto is lowered through the well bore A and nally reaches the position at which said Whipstock is to be set, the direction in which the face I1 of said whipstock is directed is not known. In order to continue drilling in the `desired direction, the location of the whipstockface, followed .by subsequent orientation thereof, must be carried out and for determining the position of the whipstock face after it has been lowered in the well bore, an inclination indicating instrument B is arranged to be mounted within the bore I8 of the sub II. This instrument, which is clearly shownin Figure 2 includes a tubular body which is constructed of an upper sectionIS and a lower section 2D, which sections are adapted to be connected together to provide an axially disposed cylinder or chamber 2I. The upper section I9 is formed with a fishing neck 22 vhaving an undercut shoulder 23 provided 'at the base of a head 23a and said shoulder is adapted to be engaged by a shing tool T (Figure 3), as will be explained. The lower section 20 is formed with a reduced counter-bore 24 which extends downwardly through a nipple 25 formed integral with said section.

,A piston 26 is slidable within the cylinder or chamber 2I of the body and is mounted on the upper'end of a piston rod 21 which extends axially through the counter-bore 24. The piston rod 21 has a record element in the form of an impression disk 28 mounted thereon and this disk may-be constructed of lead or other soft material. kThe record element or disk is supported upon a collar 29 which is formed integral with the'piston rod and said disk is conned between the collar and the piston 26, said piston being retained in engagement with the disk by a suitable nut 30 which is threaded onto the upper endof the piston rod. The supporting collar 29 is-H provided with an upstanding prong or stud 3I which extends radially of the collar and which engages' within the material of whichthe disk 28 is formed, whereby when the disk is mounted on the piston rod and the piston 26 and nut 30 placed in position, a small mark indicated at M in Figure 4 is formed in the under side of the plate or disk by said prong, this mark providing a fixed indication on said disk.

An annular raceway 3Ia is formed within the section 20 on the shoulder provided between the counter-bore 24 of said section and the cylinder or chamber 2I. A gravity responsive member such as a gravity-controlled ball 32 is conned on the raceway 3Ia and will obviously roll to the low side of the cylinder or chamber 2I. Manfestly, any inclination of the instrument B will result in the ball falling to the low side of such inclination and since the instrument is mounted within the sub I I -and said sub inclines in the same direction as the well bore A, the ball 32 will always roll or fall to the low side of the well bore. Normally, the record element or impression disk 28 is spaced above the ball, as shown in Figure 2 but upon a relative movement of the body of the instrument with respect to the piston 26 and disk 28, the ball will engage the under side of the disk and will form a circular indentation or mark, as indicated at I in Figure 4, on said disk.

The lower end of the piston rod 21 extends downwardly through the nipple 25 on the lower end of the section 20 and extends through a packing box 33 which is threaded onto said nipple. A suitable packing sleeve or collar 34 is confined within the box 33 and packs on around the piston rod. A cylindrical block 35 is made integral with the lower end of the piston rod 21 and is arranged to be detachably and non-rotatably connected to the sub II by a pair of diametrically opposed shear pins 36 and 31. The pin 31 is alined with the shear pin I6 which connects the whipstock to the sub and thus, the shear pin 31 is in vertical alinement with the face I1 of the whipstock. The shear pin 31 is of a smaller diameter than the shear pin 36 and the latter pin is vertically alined, or in the same vertical plane as the prong 3I on the collar 29 which supports the impression disk or record element 28. When the shear pins 36 and 31 are connecting the instrument B to the sub I I, the lower end of the block 35 rests upon supporting shoulders or lugs 38 which are provided within the bore of the sub II, and the provision of these shoulders makes it possible to readily connect the instrument to the sub by means of the shear pins 36 and 31 since the openings in the block 35 are immediately alined with the openings through which said shear pins extend.

In explaining the operation of the apparatus, it will be assumed that the preliminary survey of the well bore A shows that said bore is inclining in the direction N, 75 E. at the point at which the whipstock I4 is to be set. This means that the low side of the well bore at this same elevation is S. 15 W. The apparatus is then assembled at the surface in the position shown in Figure 1, the whipstock being attached to the sub II by the shear pin I6 which is in vertical alinement with the face l1 of the whipstock. Ihe instrument B is connected within the bore of the sub II by the shear pins 33 and 31. As previously explained, the shear pin 31 is vertically alined with the shear pinV I6 and the face I1 of the whipstock and therefore, the opposite shear pin 36 is in the same direction as the face I 1 of the Whipstock. This latter shear pin 36 is also vertically alined or in the same vertical plane as the up- -standing prong 3| on the collar 29 and therefore, the mark M vor fixed indication which is formed on the impression disk or record element 28 by said prong is representative of the direction of the face oi the whipstock. As explained, the body of the instrument which tions I9 and 20 is slidable with respect to the piston 2d, impression disk 28 and piston rod 21, as well as with respect to the block 35 which is made integral with said piston rod. Therefore, when the instrument is connected within the sub, the weight of the body moves the body downwardly with respect to the block 35 so that the parts are in the position shown in Figure 2, with the impression disk 28 spaced above the ball 32 which is confined in the raceway 3m of the section 20.

The drill stem is then lowered through the well bore until the whipstock I4 reaches the position at which it is to be set. As explained, the inclination of the Well bore A at this point is N, 75 E., but the operator does not know in which direction the face I1 of said whipstock is directed. The apparatus is permitted to stand at rest for a sufficient time to permit the gravity responsive member or ball 32 to fall or roll to the low side oi the bore and to come to rest at this point.

A suitable fishing tool T is then loweredby means of a wire line or cable (not shown) and is engaged over the head der 23 oi the iishing neck 22. An upward jar or pull is then imparted to the instrument B and this upward pull will result in a lifting or raising of the body formed by the sections I3 and 20 with respect to the remainder of the instrument. Thus, the cylinder 2| is moved upwardly with respect to the piston 26 and impression plate 28, whereby the ball 32 is engaged with the under side of the impression disk or record element 28. When the ball engages such record element or disk, it forms a circular indentation or mark I (Figure 4) and this indentation is representative of the position of the low side of the well bore. A continued upward jarring or pull on the instrument B will result in rupturing or lbreaking of the shear pins 36 and 31, whereby the instrument B may be withdrawn from the drill pipe IS and brought to the surface. The sections I9 and 20 are then disengaged from each other after which the nut 30 is removed from the upper end of the piston rod 21, thereby permitting removal of the marked impression disk which forms the record.

As explained, the impression disk has the mark or fixed indication M formed by the prong 3l of the supporting collar, which mark is representa- "Y tive of the face of the whipstock. The circular indentation T. which represents the low side of the hole immediately provides the operator with the angular relation between the face of the whipstock and the low side of the well bore. Maniiestly, since the inclination of the bore A at this point is known, the direction of the low side of the hole is also known. Assuming the inclination of the bore to be N. 75 E., the position of the low side of the hole as indicated by the indentation I is S. '75 W. By placing the impression disk or record into a compass ring 39 which has the points of the compass displayed thereon, it is possible to quickly and accurately determine the exact direction in which the face I1 is directed. As illustrated in Figure 5, the face of the whipstock is N. 60 E. Of course, the use of the compass ring 39 is optional and it would be possible to determine the angular relation between the is composed of the sec- Y 23A so as to grip the shoul- -mark M'land the indentation .'I'b-y anyr suitable means.

\ From the foregoing, it will be seen that a simple and efficient apparatus for orienting the whipstock is provided. The instrument is lowered downwardly with the drill pipe Vand the whipstock when these parts are rst loweredinto the well bore.! The instrument may be quickly and easily recovered by means of any suitable fishing tool which may be run into the drill pipe on a wireline or cable. A single upward pull or jarring on the instrument not only eiects the completion of the record or impression disk but also disconnects the instrument from the sub so as to permit its withdrawal from the pipe.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory thereof and various changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated construction, may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire Patent is:

1. An orienting apparatus including, a drill pipe, awell device attached to the lower end of said pipe, an inclination indicating instrument mounted within the bore o said drill pipe, said instrument including, a tubular body defining a cylinder therein, a gravity responsive member mounted in the lower portion of the cylinder and movable to the low side of the cylinder when the instrument is in an inclined position, a piston slidable within the cylinder and normally spaced above the gravity responsive member, a record element mounted on the underside of the piston and adapted to be engaged and marked by the gravity responsive member when the cylinder and gravity responsive member have moved upwardly with respect to the piston and record element, the record element having a fixed indication on its underside, a piston rod having the piston secured to its upper end and having its lower portion projecting from the lower end of the upper section, a block secured to the lower end of the piston rod, means detachably and non-rotatably connecting said block to the drill pipe within which the tubular body is mounted, whereby the piston and record element are held against rotation within the cylinder and with respect to the drill pipe, said detachable means being disposed in a known angular relationship to the fixed indication on the record element and in a known angular relationship to the well device attached to the drill pipe, whereby the angular relationship of the xed indication to the well device is known, the instrument being actuated, to effect marking of the record element by the gravity responsive member to record the position the low side of the well bore with relation to the xed indication, by an upward pull upon the tubular body which causes the cylinder of said section to move upwardly with respect to the piston, continued upward pull on said instrument effecting detachment of the connecting means between the block and drill pipe, whereby the entire instrument may be withdrawn from the pipe.

2. An orienting' apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the gravity responsive member is a ball and also wherein the record element is an impression disk of soft material which is capable of indentation by the ball.

3. An orienting apparatus as set forth in claim to secure by Letters 7 1, wherein the upper portion of the piston rod 4. An orienting apparatus as set forth in claim is formed with an annular supporting collar, a 1, wherein the detachable means which connects radially extending marker on the collar, the recthe block of the instrument to the drill stem is ord element being supported on said collar and a. frangible shear pin which is broken by an upengaging the marker which forms the xed in- 5 ward pull on the instrument. dication thereon, the piston resting upon the record element, and retaining means detachably se- CHARLES H. SCHADEL. cured to the upper end of the piston rod for retaining the element and piston on said rod. 

